Foozles Review

Honestly, when I first saw the icon for Foozles in the AppStore, it didn’t look interesting. I especially don’t really like the main character’s sprite. Well, I guess it’s just a matter of taste. Anyway, once again we got another game with the famous simple one-touch control, by Kukouri Mobile, which is called Foozles. From the name, some might guess that this could be a classic puzzle game with some twists, or mixed with other game mechanics. The reality isn’t that far. But rather than a pure puzzle game, more action is involved here.

The premise of the game is simple. We got a race of strange creature called Foozles, which are migrating throughout the space. Your job here is to guide them to travel safely to their destination, visualized here as portals.

The game is stage-based, so it’s not the typical endless run games. So how do we move the character? Simple. In each stages, you got a few  sphere platforms put across the screen. You have to manipulate them to bounce the creature, or to let it roll on them, so that it can eventually reach the portal to finish the stage as fast as you can (yes, you got timer here). By touching and holding your finger anywhere on the screen, you can shrink those platforms altogether, and release it to enlarge them, This way, you can bounce the little Foozle, and change its course. There are several more additional mechanisms, but this is the most basic and vital control system you need to know.

I have to admit that it’s really hard to control. Even after many tries, I still find myself unable to solve any early levels easily. It’s hard to predict how the Foozle will react to the platforms. This will need lots of trial-and-error attempts in order to master it.

There are currently 5 worlds to play, each consists of 12 stages. Each of the 5 worlds presents different backgrounds, with more game mechanics introduced as you play further. To unlock additional worlds, you will need some kind of orbs which can be earned in most stages. Regarding the other visual elements, although I don’t like the character’s design, I actually love all the backgrounds, which are gorgeous and highly polished.

One other problem that I found, is the lack of proper tutorials. In the beginning of some stages, where any new mechanics will be introduced, there is indeed a short tutorial shown.  But if you missed it, you will never have a chance to see it again, as there are no menu to do bring you the tutorial screen.

The whole game’s premise and goal is decent, but it really needs an “easier” control to play with. The background artworks are great, and the music feels so mysterious yet so catchy, and it suits the game well. You can get Foozles from the AppStore for $0.99. Oh yes, there is a lite version out there if you want to try it out first.

Ratings

Gameplay:
Replay Value:
Sound:
Graphics:
Overall: